Pump



F. H. P. SULLY Jan. 5, 1965 PUMP Filed April e, 196s INVENTOR. FKA/VK Aff .5K/ZV BY ida 0 a@ Ih., g5 /wfv//f/.Z M d ,W 7, ,Wm 1 A 4 ,yf/es@ ,n A .M A A. Y XS M Y F L! N J Y J ?J 6 Jan. 5, 1965 F. H. P. sULLY 3,164,098

PUMP

Filed April 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. FKA/VK H A 5%7 BY VW/,

United States Patent 3,164,098 PUMP Frank H. I. Sully, La Mirada, Caiif., assignor to Western Brass Works, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,187 9 Claims. (Cl. 1193-120) This invention relates to a pump and more particularly relates to a variable ow pump.

In many pumping systemsrand applications it is desirable to be able to continuously vary the ow rate of a pump over a reasonably wide range and with extreme accuracy. Inasmuch as many of these applications involve the pumping of chemicals, other corrosive materials, slurriejs, or other non-homogeneous streams, it is also desirable that such a pump be easy to disassemble and reassemble so that the pump may be cleaned in a short time. According to the present invention, such a Variable flow pump is provided, the pump having a pumping chamber which can be adjustably positioned relative to the impeller whereby the flow rate of the pump can be varied. The various components of the pump are held in place by a locking bar which can be swung out of position to facilitate the cleaning of the pump.

It is therefore an object or" the present invention to provide a pump having a` continuously variable flow rate.

It is also an object of the present invention to Vprovide such a pump wherein the pumping chamber is continuously adjustable relative to the impeller.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a pump wherein the position of the pumping chamber is laterally adjusted by rotating an adjusting plate mounted adjacent the chamber.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a pump which can. be easily assembled and disassembled, and in which the various components are held in place by means of a locking bar.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention kwill become more apparent upon reference to the accompanying description and drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevation of the pump of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the pump of the present invention taken along lines 2-2 of FIGURE l;

Y FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3 3 of FIGURE 2; t

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4 4 of FIGURE 2; FIGURE 5 is a view, partly in section, taken along lines 5 5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 isa viewl similar to FIGURE 5 but with the elements thereof in different positions;

'FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the pump of the present invention taken along lines 7 7 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 8 is a view, partly in section, taken along lines 8 8 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 9 is a view, partly in section, taken along lines 9 9 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 10 is an exploded perspective View of a portion of` the pump of the present invention; and

FIGURE 11 is an exploded perspective view of another portion of the'pump of the present invention.

tReferring now to the several figures, there ,is shown a pump 10 mounted on and driven by an electric motor 11. bypmeans of an Lshaped supporting plate 12'having ya base 13 which may be fastened to any suitable Vsupport by means of holes 14, and an'upstanding leg 15 to which the pump is fastened. The supporting plate 12 is aixed to the motor 11 by means of spacers 16 and bolts 17. The upstanding leg 15 is provided with a pair of de- The pump 10 is mounted on the motor 11V 3,164,698 Patented Jan. 5, 1965 ders 26 which lit into the aperture 24 and an O-ringl 27 which forms a seal with the rear plate 21. The inner walls of housing 25 and rear plate 21 thus form a pumping chamber 2S. A capor front plate 29 is positioned over the housing 25 and is held in place by means of a boss 30 which cooperates with a slot 31 inthe housing 25. The cap 29 is provided with a groove 32 yfor receiving the locking bar 19, the bar 19 being provided with a snap spring portion 33 for ythis purpose. The cap 29 is further provided with inlet and outlet ports 34 and 35 around which are positioned O-rings 36 to form a seal with inlet and outlet openings 37 and 38" in the face of the housing 25. The outlet port is provided with a conventional check valve39 which comprises a semi-spherical member 4i) biased against the outlet passageway in the face plate of the housing 25 by means of a spring 41.

Positioned around the housing 25 is an adjusting plate 44 having a central opening 45 for receiving the housing 25 and an adjusting slot 46 formed therein. As can be seen, the slot 46 is generally arcuate but is eccentric relative to the central opening 45, yand cooperates with a pin 47 to cause the adjusting plate 44 to move in a downward direction when it is rotated counterclockwise. One end of the pin 47 is threaded for making threaded engagement with suitable holes in the guide plate 23 and rear plate 21, while the other end is provided with an expanded portion or knob 48 which serves to lock ble blades which extend outwardly from a hub 58 and whose outer ends engage the inner surface of the housing 25. As can be seen from FIGURE .5, the blades 57 are sufficiently long so thatjthey are substantially flexedwhen the shaft 52 is coaxial with the housing 25. vThe operation of the pump of the present invention lwill now be described, with particular referencevto `FIG- URES 5 and 6. As can be seen in FIGURES, when the adjusting plate 44 is turned as far in the clockwise direction as the slot 46 and pin 47 will permit, the shaft 52 and hence the impeller 51 will be coaxial with the housing 25. Each of the blades 57 will thus be continuously exed the same amount as the shaft rotates and the volume of each of the chambers dened by two blades, the hub 58 and the inner wall of the housing 25 will be equal. The pressure at the outlet port 35 will thus be the same as` the pressure at the inlet port 34 and the pump will bepurnping at--aminimum rate.

' When, however, the 'adjusting plate 44 is turned in a counterclo'ckwise direction, the Vaction of therpin 47 on lithe camming surface of the slot.46 causes the kadjusting plate to`r'nove vertically downward. Since the adjusting plate surrounds the housing 25, vertical movement of the adjusting plate 44 is transmitted to the housing 25 and it also moves downwardly in the aperture 24 of the guide plate 23.

The shaft 52, however, is fixed and thus the pumping chamber 28 defined by the housing 25 moves relative to the impeller 51. When the adjusting plate d4 has been Vrotated as far as possible in the counterclockwise direction, the various elements are positioned as shown in FIGURE 6. In thisligure, it can be seen that the impeller 51 is now eccentrically located in the chamber 23 with the result thatV the blades 57 extend almost radially in the lower part of the chamber but are severely bent over in the upper part of the chamber. The volume of the vchamber formed by the blades over the inlet port thus is greater than that formed by the blades over the outlet port and thus the fluidwill be expelled from the outlet port at a greater rate of flow.

The pump of the present invention is particularly useful in pumping chemicalsfor other materials of a corrosive or slurry compositionV as it can qui-te easily be taken apartand cleaned. To clean the vvarious components of j the pump, it is only necessary toffee the locking bar i9 from the locking groove 32 in the cap 29 and pivot the locking baraway from theJv pump structure. The cap 29 and housing -can then be removed for cleaning. The remainder of the pump assembly can be made available for cleaning by removing the pin 47 and lifting the guide plate 23 and rea'r plate 2l off of the pins 22. Reassembly of the pump is equally as simple and convenient and enables the, pump to be cleaned quickly, thereby reducing the pumping system down time to a minimum.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms not departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof.- The presentY embodiment is therefore to be consideredin all respects as'illustrative and not restrictive, the'V scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes 'which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency vof the claims are therefore intended to 'be embraced therein.

I claim:

,1. A variable flow pump comprising:

a plate havingxa generally rectangulark aperture therein;

a housing slidably mounted lin said generally rectangularaperture whereby said housing may move in said aperture relative to saidplate, said housing having a pumpingchamber therein and inlet and outlet openings cornmunicatingwith said chamber;

al driving shaft extending through said aperture in said plate into said pumping chamber;

animpeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending flexible blades, Ysaid blades being in engagement with,

' ,andjexed by, the interior Wall of said housing; i an adjustingplate mounted on said plate, said yadjusti'rigplate having van aperture therein for receiving said housing; and means cooperating with said adjusting plate and said v plate to cause said ,adjusting plate and said housing tov move laterally with respect to said plate when said adjusting plate is rotated., 2L Avariable ow pump comprising:`

a supporting plate for supporting said pump; alrear plate mounted on said supporting plate, said rear plate having Van aperture therein; a guide plate mounted on said rear plate, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein; e a housing slidably mounted in said generally rectangular opening whereby said housing may move in said opening relative rto said guide plate, said housing and said rearjplaterdening a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber; v a. driving shaft extending through said aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending flexible blades, said blades being in engagement with, and fiexed by, the interior wall of said housing;

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having an aperture therein for receiving said housing; and

means cooperating with said adjusting plate and said guide plate to cause said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate when said adjusting plate is rotated.

3. A variable liow pump comprising:

asupporting plate for supporting said pump;

a rear plate mounted on said supporting plate, said rear plate having an aperture therein;

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein; f

a housing slidably mounted in said generally rectangular opening, said housing and said rear plate delining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing havin(lr inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a driving shaft extending through said aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft 'in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending liexible blades, said blades being in lirrn engagement with, and flexed by, the interior Wall of said housing; and

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having an aperture therein for receiving said housing, said adjusting plate having means cooperating with said guide plate to force said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate and said driving shaft when said adjusting plate is rotated whereby the pumping action of said pump is altered,

4. A variable liow pump comprisingf a supporting plate for supporting said pump;

a rear plate mounted on said supporting plate, said rear plate having an aperture therein;

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein;

a housing positioned over said guide plate and having shoulders thereon for cooperating with said rectangu= lar opening whereby said housing may move in said opening relative to said guide plate, said housing and said rear plate defining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a driving shaftextending through said aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in saidy chamber,

said impeller having a plurality of radially extending iexible blades, said blades being in firm engagement with, and flexed by, the interior wall of said housing; and

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having anY aperture therein for receiving said housing in engaging relationship, said adjustingV plate having means cooperating with said guide plate to force said adjusting plate and Said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate and said driving shaft when said adjusting plate is 'rotated whereby the pumping action of said pump is altered.

'5. Avariable flow pump comprising:

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate, said guideV plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein;

a housing positioned over said guide plate and having shoulders thereon for. cooperating with said rectangular opening whereby saidhousing may move in said opening relative to said guide plate, said housing and said rear plate defining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a driving shaft extending through said aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending flexible blades, said blades being in firm engagement with, and flexed by, the interior wall of said housing;

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having an aperture therein for receiving said housing in engaging relationship, said adjusting plate having means cooperating with said guide plate to force said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate and said driving shaft when said adjusting plate is rotated whereby the pumping action of said pump is altered;

a cap mounted on said housing and having inlet and outlet ports communicating with said inlet and outlet opening in said housing; and

a locking bar pivotally mounted on said supporting plate and cooperating with said cap to maintain said cap, housing, guide plate and rear plate on said supporting plate.

6. A variable flow pump comprising:

a supporting plate for supporting said pump;

a rear plate mounted on said supporting plate, said rear plate having an aperture therein;

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein;

a housing positioned over said guide plate and having shoulders thereon for cooperating with said rectangular opening whereby said housing may move in said opening relative to said guide plate, said housing and said rear plate defining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a driving shaft extending through said aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending exiole blades, said blades being in firm engagement with, and flexed by, the interior wall of said hous- 111g;

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having 1an aperture therein for receiving said housing in engaging relationship, said adjusting plate having a slot eccentric relative to said aperture formed therein near the periphery thereof;

a pin fixedly attached to said guide plate and extending through said slot and cooperating therewith to force said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate and said driving shaft when said adjusting plate is rotated whereby the degree of flexing of said blades by said interior wall of said housing is changed and the pumping action of said pump is altered;

a cap mounted on said housing and having inlet and outlet ports communicating with said inlet and outlet opening in said housing; and

a locking bar pivotally mounted on said supporting plate and cooperating with said cap to maintain said lcap, housing, guide plate and rear plate on said supporting plate.

7. A Variable flow pump comprising:

a supporting plate for supporting said pump, said plate having a plurality of pins extending outwardly therefrom;

a rear plate mounted on said supporting plate and having apertures for receiving said pins and a central aperture;

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate and having apertures for receiving said pins, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein;

a housing positioned over said guide plate and having shoulders thereon for cooperating with said rectangular opening whereby said housing may move in said opening relative to said guide plate, said housing and said rear plate defining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a driving shaft extending through said central aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending fiexible blades, said blades being in firm engagement with, and flexed by, the interior wall of said housing;

an adjusting plate mounted on said guide plate, said adjusting plate having an aperture therein for receiving said housing in engaging relationship, said adjusting plate having a slot eccentric relative to said aperture formed therein near the periphery thereof;

a pin fixedly attached to said guide plate and extending through said slot and cooperating therewith to force said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect t'o said guide plate and said driving shaft ywhen said adjusting plate is rotated whereby the degree of flexing of said blades by said interior wall of said housing is changed and the pumping action of said pump is altered;

a cap mounted on said housing and having inlet and outlet ports communicating with said inlet and outlet opening in said housing; and

a locking bar pivotally mounted on said supporting plate and cooperating with said cap to maintain said cap, housing, guide plate and rear plate on said supporting plate.

8. A variable flow pump comprising:

a supporting plate for supporting said pump, said plate having a plurality of pins extending outwardly therefrom;

a rear plate mounted on said supporting plate and having apertures for receiving said pins and a central aperture;

a guide plate mounted on said rear plate and having apertures for receiving said pins, said guide plate having a generally rectangular opening formed therein;

a housing positioned over said guide plate and having shoulders thereon for cooperating with said rectangular opening whereby said housing may move in said opening relative to said guide plate, said housing and said rear plate defining a pumping chamber therebetween, said housing having inlet and outlet openings therein in communication with said chamber;

a `driving shaft extending through said central aperture in said rear plate into said pumping chamber;

an impeller mounted on said shaft in said chamber, said impeller having a plurality of radially extending flexible blades, said blades being in firm engagement with, and flexed by, the interior Wall of said housing;

an adjusting plate mounted on said 'guide plate, said adjusting plate having an aperture therein for receiving said housing in engaging relationship, said adjusting plate -having a generally arcuate slot eccentric relative to said aperture formed therein near the peripheryV thereof;

a pin fixedly attached to said guide plate and extending through said slot and cooperating therewith to force said adjusting plate and said housing to move laterally with respect to said guide plate and said driving 7 Y E Shaft when'said adjusting plate is rotated whereby means -cornprises a slot formed in said adjusting plate the degree of flexing of saidblades bysaid interior eccentric relative to said aperture and a pin mounted on Wall of said housing is changed 'andthe pumping said guide plate and extending into said slot. i action offsaid pump is altered Y a cap mounted on said housing and having'nlet and 5 Referenties Cited in the file Of this Ptlt outlet'ports vconn'nunica'ting with said inletand out- UNITED STATES PATENTS let opening in said housing, said outlet port having a. check valve positioned therein2 said cap having a 206950 Ott NOV 24 1950 grow@ formed therein; and 2,988,003 Schmied June 13, 1961 a locking bar pivotally vmounted on said supporting Plate and cooperatingwith said groove in said cap to 10 FOREIGN PATENTS maintain said cap, housing, guide plate and rear 216,231 Australia Dec. 20, 1956 plate on said supporting plate. 822,041 Germany u Nov. 22, 1951 9; The pump of claim 2 wherein said cooperating 769,378 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1957 

1. A VARIABLE FLOW PUMP COMPRISING: A PLATE HAVING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR APERTURE THEREIN; A HOUSING SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID GENERALLY RECTANGULAR APERTURE WHEREBY SAID HOUSING MAY MOVE IN SAID APERTURE RELATIVE TO SAID PLATE; SAID HOUSING HAVING A PUMPING CHAMBER THEREIN AND INLET AND OUTLET OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER; A DRIVING SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN SAID PLATE INTO SAID PUMPING CHAMBER; AN IMPELLER MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT IN SAID CHAMBER, SAID IMPELLER HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY EXTENDING FLEXIBLE BLADES, SAID BLADES BEING IN ENGAGEMENT WITH, AND FLEXED BY, THE INTERIOR WALL OF SAID HOUSING; AN ADJUSTING PLATE MOUNTED ON SAID PLATE, SAID ADJUSTING PLATE HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN FOR RECEIVING SAID HOUSING; AND MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID ADJUSTING PLATE AND SAID PLATE TO CAUSE SAID ADJUSTING PLATE AND SAID HOUSING TO MOVE LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLATE WHEN SAID ADJUSTING PLATE IS ROTATED. 